{"podcast":{"title":"Pastors Thriving | Ministry, Leadership, Discipleship, Church Growth, Small Church Strategies","slug":"pastors-thriving-ministry-leadership-discipleship-church-growth-small-church-strategies-6589021","podcast_index_feed_id":6589021,"rss_url":"https://media.rss.com/kevinelworthunplugged/feed.xml","website_url":"http://www.pastorsthriving.com","image_url":"https://media.rss.com/kevinelworthunplugged/20240601_110619_eb9f1dfa08fcb16867f48f3494be5110.png","author":"Kevin Elworth-Business & Ministry Coach, Passive Income, Entrepreneur Pastor, Ministry Marketing","episode_count":142,"summary":"The SOURCE for Pastor help, encouragement, strategies for growth and Leadership Hey Pastor! Do you wish you knew the secret to growing your church while finding balance between ministry and your family? Do you find yourself updating your resume and browsing the job ads on ministryjobs.com ? Do you want to develop leaders within your church to relieve the burden from your shoulders, but instead you’re constantly dealing with drama and conflict? You’re in the right place. Welcome to Pastors Thriving, where you will learn the secrets to leadership growth in your church - spiritually, numerically, and financially. You’ll learn how to equip and develop your staff and congregation so that you don’t have to feel alone on this journey - and enjoy the ministry that you’ve been called to once again. Hi, I’m Kevin. Twenty-year ministry veteran, husband of a powerhouse wife, the father of 5 wonderful kids, and lover of Jesus powered by coffee and tacos. It wasn’t long ago that I grew a church from zero to 700 in five short years and wrestled with the trauma and drama that goes along with intense church growth. It wasn’t until I learned the power of creativity and how I could harness it to lea…","last_synced_at":"2026-06-18T20:17:17.951612+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pastors-thriving-ministry-leadership-discipleship-church-growth-small-church-strategies-6589021"},"episode":{"title":"EP - 105 When Ministry Doesn't Go According to Plan","slug":"ep-105-when-ministry-doesn-t-go-according-to-plan","published_at":"2026-06-18T09:37:30+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pastors-thriving-ministry-leadership-discipleship-church-growth-small-church-strategies-6589021/ep-105-when-ministry-doesn-t-go-according-to-plan","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pastors-thriving-ministry-leadership-discipleship-church-growth-small-church-strategies-6589021","url":"https://rss.com/podcasts/kevinelworthunplugged/2917908","audio_url":"https://content.rss.com/episodes/226009/2917908/kevinelworthunplugged/2026_06_15_20_30_04_2bacc4ed-aa66-4ea9-9301-e67cc138f304.mp3","summary":"Episode 105: When Ministry Doesn't Go According to Plan Leadership is filled with moments we never expected. Plans fall apart. People let us down. Opportunities disappear. Prayers seem delayed. Recently, I had to make one of the toughest decisions I've faced in ministry. Just ten days before departure, our Sparrow Village Initiatives team had to postpone a long-awaited trip to serve 115 orphaned children in Uganda. Months of preparation. Thousands of dollars raised. Excited volunteers. Children waiting for our arrival. Then everything changed. In this episode, I share that story along with five practical and biblical ways to navigate disappointment without losing your purpose. You'll discover: • Why disappointment isn't a sign of weak faith. • How to look for God's goodness in difficult moments. • Why setbacks should adjust your strategy, not your calling. • How to keep moving forward after a painful season. • Why God's faithfulness is greater than your circumstances. If you've ever wondered whether your work still matters or if God is still at work in your situation, this episode is for you. Key Takeaways Feel it. Don't deny your disappointment. Bring it to God. Find the good. Look for what remains instead of focusing only on what was lost. Follow through. Don't allow temporary setbacks to create permanent decisions. Stay forward focused. Delayed doesn't mean defeated. Choose faith over feelings. God's character hasn't changed, even when circumstances have. If this episode encouraged you, share it with another pastor or ministry leader who could use the reminder. Need prayer or encouragement? I'd love to hear from you. Until next time... Stay faithful. Keep leading. And keep thriving.","meta_description":"Episode 105: When Ministry Doesn't Go According to Plan Leadership is filled with moments we never expected. Plans fall apart. People let us down. Opportu…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1134,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/pastors-thriving-ministry-leadership-discipleship-church-growth-small-church-strategies-6589021/episodes/ep-105-when-ministry-doesn-t-go-according-to-plan/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pastors-thriving-ministry-leadership-discipleship-church-growth-small-church-strategies-6589021/ep-105-when-ministry-doesn-t-go-according-to-plan.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}